Spurned lover causes accident, drags sisters out of auto-rickshaw, molests them

coastaldigest.com web desk

August 1, 2018

Belthangady, Aug 1: A dejected lover caused a road accident by ramming his pick up vehicle into an auto-rickshaw, assaulted its driver and two female passengers and molested them near Gandibagilu village in Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada district.

The accused, identified as Thomas, was arrested by the jurisdictional Dharmasthala police after the Monday’s incident.

The police said that a 20-year-old woman, who had turned down the proposal of the accused, was returning home from Aniyuru to Gandibagilu along with her sister.

The sisters who travelled from Ujire in a bus got off at Aniyuru and then boarded an auto-rickshaw, being driven by Satish, to reach their home in Gandibagilu.

Soon, Thomas followed the auto-rickshaw in a pick-up vehicle and hit the rear of the three-wheeler near Sion Ashram. The auto-rickshaw overturned and fell into a roadside ditch.

Then, Thomas bit the hands of Satish and pushed him aside. Later, he pulled one of the two women by her hair and asked why she did not love him. When her sister came to her rescue, Thomas dragged and assaulted the other sister too. He then made an attempt to molest them.

When the sisters screamed for help, people from nearby rushed to the spot but Thomas managed to flee. This led to a flash protest by people on the road seeking the immediate arrest of Thomas. The women too filed a complaint.

However, the police arrested Thomas by night and booked him for offences under Sections 354 (assaulting a woman with an intent to outrage her modesty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code. The police said that the accused was involved in several criminal cases earlier.

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Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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